Marissa Faireborn
Profile "Dedication to duty is the ultimate example of who you are!" Born in 1983, EDC Chief Advisor Marissa Faireborn is a devoted and loyal soldier, the price of which is often the overflow of her professional duties into her personal life. A perfectionist, this serious woman is an excellent officer and former EDC Commander, but has been known to possess a strong temper when her patience is tried during times of high stress. Not fond of formal social events. An Autobot ally, Marissa has seen firsthand the damage the Decepticons do in their endless quest for energy. Though trained for combat, Marissa prefers to avoid violence if possible. History Marissa Faireborn has been with the army her entire life, having been born and raised on an army base. Her earliest memories are of tagging along with mom and dad on business. Her playgrounds were army fitness centres, her friends were officers and non-coms, and her extracurricular activities included target practice and tactical simulations. As a child, Marissa looked up to the adult soldiers with awe and reverence. They were confident, strong, and brave. It didn't seem like there was anything that could beat them. It didn't matter that the chow in the mess hall was utter crap - getting to sit there with all the grown-ups and listen to the off colour jokes, join in with the camaraderie amongst the regulars, and listen to everyone bitch and moan about their superiors was a treat. When she found out she could go with dad and listen in on routine patrol assignment briefings and lectures if she was quiet and didn't misbehave, you'd never see a better behaved kid. The grown-ups didn't mind having her along either, as she was bright, cheerful, and wasn't prone to acting up. Adults would ask her what she wanted to be when she grew up, and 'soldier' was the only answer they'd ever get. When other children gave their school presentations on what they did over the summer, they spoke about playing video games, watching television, and going to summer camp. When Marissa gave her school presentation on what she did over the summer, she described in detail learning how to fire an M-16 rifle, having gotten to take apart a fuel injector valve on an F-15 and put it back together, spent time working on her judo, and practicing for her tank operator's certification. The daughter of an EDC founding member, Marissa was something of a spoiled army brat. Constant moving from one base to another meant she was home schooled more often than not. When she was attending a school, always private, she had a habit of looking down on the other children and applying strict military standards to them. A fierce competitor by birth and upbringing, Marissa was driven to succeed in all areas save those she considered frivolous. Straight A's Math, English, and Gym were par for the course. She didn't care for subjects along the lines of art or home economics, and her disdain for it showed in her marks. Although her parents were strict, she was lucky in that neither of them saw much use in those subjects either. An unpopular girl in school, Marissa was nevertheless highly respected for both brain and brawn. She'd get picked quickly when drafting baseball teams at recess for her skill, but not for being well liked. She had few friends in school and never drew close to any of her classmates. She preferred hanging out with the guys and girls at the base instead, considering them to be her friends instead. Her love life suffered, but she never seemed to miss it. The pressure on her to excel in all professional areas was immense, both due to her demanding parents and the general expectations that she would rise to become a prominent figure in the service. Her college years were difficult, as the world was changing rapidly all around her. Due to the arrival of the Transformers in the 80's and their sharp rise to prominence in the 90's, the army's mode of operation had changed. Where old lines of reasoning were useful against conventional threats, such as other nations, a smaller and more adaptable organization capable of utilizing Cybertronian technology was required. This thesis formed the core of Earth Defence Command. The EDC grew and matured along with Marissa. She has helped shape it as much as it has shaped her. Marissa has served as its leader, second in command, official advisor, and held other key positions within the organization. As the years have dragged on and the war has failed to let up, Marissa's attachment to the army her father built has waned. Now in her 40's, there are twinges of regret as she looks back on her life. A part of her regrets never finding time for social gatherings, making friends, and otherwise having a life outside of their job. She sees the comrades she's fought with throughout her life with their own family. It won't be long until they start enjoying the presence of grandchildren. All Marissa has to look forward to on the other hand is old age alone or, should the Decepticons finally get lucky, a flag draped wooden box being lowered into the ground. Even mom and dad managed to make the time to find each other and raise a small family. It's an area of her life that she is now realizing she should never have neglected. Nevertheless, she recognizes it as a sacrifice that she has made, and she bears it with the courage and strength that she is renown for. With the advances in medical science thanks to Cybertronian technology, 40 is practically the new 20. There's a hell of a lot more fight left in Marissa Fairborn. Personality Her longtime comrade Michael Briar, whom she had often found herself at odds with, had always represented the other half of the EDC. Where she stays calm and collected, using intellect as her greatest weapon, Briar was an emotional yet inspirational leader, and she admired the loyalty that he gains from his soldiers. While she had always respected his technical skills and his capabilities in combat, she would inwardly scoff at his freewheeling antics. His near scandalous fraternization with his subordinates, as well as his flighty actions involving the EDC super-Exo-Suit have caused Marissa to cringe. Still, she envies that he managed to find time to get married and start a family. Michael's life certainly seemed to be more full than hers. Her devotion to duty and honour sometimes seem trite sometimes when compared to the simpler things in life. Marissa regards the Autobots on a whole as friends. Rodimus Prime is one of her few confidants, and she sympathizes with him being thrust into a leadership role without any preparation, or even him wanting it in the first place. All things considered, he has held up remarkably well. She admires Ultra Magnus for his stoic devotion to the cause, and often sees herself mirrored in him. His bravery is unquestioned, and his actions above reproach. Despite the close relationship she shares with several Autobots, she is all too well aware of their alien nature. Marissa has never gotten along well with Grimlock and the Dinobots. They consider her weak like all fleshlings, and she considers them arrogant idiots, useful only to point at the enemy and let go. Marissa can't help but realize how pathetic it is that a large portion of her off-duty social interaction is done with Transformers rather than her fellow humans. Despite her intense organization skills, Marissa seems to always be in a rush for one meeting or another. Her typical non-emergency day starts at 5:30am. She has fifteen minutes to wake up and change into sweats before a brisk 30 minute jog around Alameda or whatever base she happens to be stationed at, rain, shine, snow or wind. After a shower and change, breakfast is at 7:00, either in the mess hall or in her office, likely while meeting with one of her staff members. Her office is a chaotic sort of mess, with papers filed and computers protected with almost more passwords than she can remember. It is a controlled chaos, however, and she can find what she needs within seconds. The rest of the day is filled with a variety of meetings. Despite her busy schedule, Marissa does her best to make sure she is able to get out into the field as often as possible. It's her only chance to connect with the troops and see situations with her own eyes. Her evenings tend to be quiet, as she often works late. If she manages to avoid this, she appreciates a good novel, and is participates extensively in tennis, squash, and hiking. Marissa keeps active. Notes * Marissa had a complex relationship with Michael Briar. While she detests his sloppiness and scandalous fraternization with his subordinates, she envied and respected that he managed to find time to secure a relationship and family life for himself, while she has not. In some ways, Marissa is the brains of the EDC, but Briar was its heart. * Marissa tends to use a Warthog Exo-Suit in combat, though she generally tends prefer standard tanks and jets. Unfortunately for her the EDC motor pool has evolved away from those. Recently she tried out the Talon. She prefered the jet mode more than the robot mode. Alas, her Talon met with an unfortunate accident and she hasn't been seen in an exo-suit for a while. Marissa's newest ride is a special-issue A-99 Vindicator dropship, with experimental fly-by-eye control augmentations. * Even Marissa occasionally misspells her last name. * Marissa sometimes forgets the difference between 'ultimate' and 'penultimate'. * Whenever her troopers do something foolish, Marissa dies a little on the inside. That she is still alive is 2k5's greatest miracle. * Marissa has ridden the following Transformers: Bil-Dor, Bumblebee, First Aid, Gears, Groove, Hot Rod, Nightbeat, Ramjet, Rodimus Prime, Red Alert, Springer, Tracks. * Since Michael Briar's death, Marissa usually has no idea who is currently leading the EDC and will deflect the question when asked about it. crap now it's her. Well at least that's easy to remember. * Thanks to a recent entropic field manipulation effecturing a Tiny Plot, Marissa can be young and spry again. Maybe it's Maybelline. Logs 2029 *Cube - A space trickster kidnaps a group of Autobots and Decepticons, trapping them in his devilish Cube. Can they solve the puzzles and escape? *The Body In Question - Tracking down Inferno's coffin, the Autobots discover the Junkions behaving even odder than usual on Oklahomus VIII *Junked - The end of the Juice? As the Junkions battle the Autobots and Decepticons on Junk, the puppetmasters behind the curtain are revealed. Players Excise